Whenever there’s an election, you hope for fair play. No stuffing of the ballot box, no heavy-handed grandstanding, no bullying to unduly sway the results.

Earlier this spring, we asked you to go to www.wondersofwisconsin.com and vote for your favorite small towns (population less than 15,000) in 20 categories. We’d wince when hearing rumors that one community or another was out to blitz the system, but that’s not how the results appear.

Thousands of you have expressed your preferences, and now we have 18 winners. Here they are – just in time for summer vacation planning – and we added thoughts about what to check out when visiting.

Most scenic beauty in the surrounding area: Bayfield, www.travelbayfieldcounty.com, 800-472-6338. The biggest gem is the 21-island Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, accessible by kayak or excursion boat, www.nps.gov, 715-779-3925.

Best galleries and arts scene: Egg Harbor, www.eggharbor-wi.com, 920-868-3717. Pretty Door County inspires artists of many types, and a series of arts festivals continues through summer, www.doorcounty.com, 800-52-RELAX.

Best theater and entertainment town: Spring Green, www.springgreen.com, 800-588-2042. Nothing matches a summer picnic and short uphill hike to the open-air American Players Theatre for a little Shakespeare, www.playinthewoods.org, 608-588-2361.

Best festival weekend: Warrens Cranberry Festival, www.cranfest.com, 608-378-4200. Expect more than three miles of vendor booths. Also check out the town’s Cranberry Discovery Center, in an old cranberry warehouse, www.discovercranberries.com, 608-378-4878.

Best town for a fishing getaway: Minocqua, www.minocqua.org, 800-44-NORTH. Field & Stream this year dubbed it one of the top 20 places to fish in America. Among the plethora of accommodations are cozy condo units at The Beacons of Minocqua, www.thebeacons.com, 800-236-3225.

Best town for a biking getaway: Sparta, www.spartawisconsin.org, 800-354-BIKE. The area is best known for the 32-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail, where riders pass through three tunnels (one three-quarters of a mile long), www.elroy-sparta-trail.com.

Best cross-country skiing town: Blue Mounds, population 800, earns raves for trails at Blue Mound State Park, www.dnr.state.wi.us, 608-437-5711. Also nearby: Cave of the Mounds, a national natural landmark; www.caveofthemounds.com, 608-437-3038.

Best town for folk/outsider art: Baraboo, because Tom “Dr. Evermor” Every’s Forevertron is considered the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world. It is 50 feet high, 120 feet wide. This piece of art is no longer easy to see, but other sculptures by the self-taught artist can be seen along Highway 12, near Devil’s Lake.

Best town on a lake: Port Washington, www.portwashingtontourism.com, 800-719-4881. Strolling the Lake Michigan waterfront is one of the true delights of summer. Listen for the foghorn.

Best town on a river: Trempealeau, www.ruralexperiences.com, 800-927-5339. Watch the Mississippi River traffic and currents while savoring a walnut burger at the historic Trempealeau Hotel, www.trempealeauhotel, 608-534-6898

Pechakucha: My Quick 20×20

All around the world, thoughtful and tightly composed Pechakucha presentations tell volumes in minutes.
Here's my contribution: What Food Teaches About Appetite.
That's 20 images, each with a 20-second narration, as presented at Madison's lovely Monona Terrace.

For the Record

I am a hard-working freelancer whose writing and photography have appeared in oodles of regional and national publications. Lots of websites too.

For starters, that means the Chicago Tribune and USAToday.com, TravelWisconsin.com and TravelAge West, Group Tour Media and Global Traveler, DK EyeWitness and Rand McNally guides, the Kenosha News, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Experience Wisconsin and The Restaurateur.

I’m proud of all of it and glad to bore you with additional details – just give me a nudge.

Midwest travel, especially lesser-known and rural destinations, is my specialty. So is a curiosity about food, especially quirks in regional cuisines. Add sustainability in travel, as in taking it easy on the Earth.